I have had a love affair with autumn, for as long as I can remember. It is by far my most favourite season. And how could it not be? The leaves begin change to vibrant, fiery colours. The air becomes a little more crisp. And let’s face it, you get to pull out your most fav sweaters that are nearly as comfy as being bundled up in blankets in bed on a Sunday morning.

I didn’t think I could love Autumn anymore than I already do, until this past weekend. I was on one of those amazing autumn drives with my main squeeze (comfy sweater in tow), marvelling at the gorgeous fall landscape, thinking to myself, these leaves really couldn’t be more beautiful, when I was struck with a memory of something I had learned a while back:

The story of how leaves change.

Now I know, this may not sound like a hot topic, but hear me out (and try not to be amazed).

We all think that as the colder weather creeps in, the leaves begin to change colour before falling to the ground in a glorious heap, that we secretly all want to hop into.

But get this:That’s not exactly true. (Metaphor alert)

The leaves DON’T change colour, they were ALWAYS the colours that we so adore: the reds, the yellows, the gorgeous oranges and every spectrum in between. They were just hiding under the green. Without getting too scientific, the reason why leaves are green to begin with is because of a coloured chemical/pigment called chlorophyll, which turns the sun’s energy into energy for the plant/tree. There’s the cool part. Chlorophyll absorbs every colour from the sun’s rays except for green, which is then reflected back and becomes what we see. As the sunlight decreases as we head into autumn, the plants stop producing chlorophyll and voila! We begin to see the true colours of the leaves that were there all along. Amazing isn’t it?
As I told this story driving along and admiring the view, I couldn’t help but smile at the similarities in us as humans.

There is a wealth of beauty that exists within each and everyone of us, no matter how much we hid it from the world, no matter how much we may not even realize what exists within: it is there nonetheless. Always. We all have such unique inner beauty, not one the same as another, and we become more radiant as a collective, not dimmer, when we share our brilliance with others, each complimenting the gorgeous bouquet of gifts that surrounds us.

The problem is that we shield our brilliance with a veil of limiting, false beliefs that make us forget who we really are underneath it all. It has been said that fear is just ‘false evidence appearing real’ and this is exactly what we do to ourselves when we tell ourselves that we are anything but extraordinary. Well it’s time to take off the veil.

It’s time to shed the beliefs that are holding you back from seeing yourself for the true beauty that you are. It’s time for you reveal your true colours darling.

Yes darling, there is no one in the world like you. It’s time to celebrate that fact and bringit to light by creating an inspiration board. It could be a vision board, a mind map, a collage of some kind, heck, you could even use Pinterest. All you have to do is spend some time brainstorming everything that makes you who you are. Are you a knitter? A romance novel junkie? Do you volunteer at the local skate rink? What are you interests? What are your passions? Even if you’re not doing them at this moment, what in your heart excites you? Do you dream of being a traveller or a writer? How about what qualities make you who you are?

It doesn’t matter, I repeat, it DOES NOT matter if you are currently partaking in something or not, if you feel pulled to it, if it is a deep desire, is something inspires you, it’s already a part of who you are, you may just need a little focus in that direction (which is part of what this is all about). Nothing is too big or too small. This is all about YOU and it’s for YOU. No one else needs to see it. You are allowed to cherish yourself. In fact, I demand that you do. The more you spend time adding to this beautiful arrangement, the more you will get to see how amazing you really are.

2) Ask a few close friends what they love about you:

Yup. It is was it sounds like. Now I know this seems completely akward, but if their your b.f.f.’s than they’ll be chomping at the bit to tell you everything they love about you. Just tell your friends that you were given an assignment to do and ask if they could help you out. Your closest friends and family members see you for who you truly are, even when you don’t. This is an incredibly empowering exercise. Once you’ve got a few, make sure they are written down and take a moment to read them everyday.

3) Come up with a mantra:

Our brains are on unconscious autopilot for the majority of the day with one song on repeat: you suck. It’s high time to change this overplayed tune with something more uplifting. Think of something that you need to tell your self, to remind yourself of everyday to recondition how you feel about who you are. Is it that you are worthy of being loved? Make that your mantra. Is it that you are beautiful from the inside out? Mantra. Maybe it’s that you are as capable and deserving as anyone and that you welcome opportunity and abundance into your life. Mmmantra. Take time every morning (about 5 minutes) to say this to yourself, preferably while moving because it helps to really sink it into your nervous system. You’ll whip your beliefs about who you are and what your capable into shape in no time.

4) Remind yourself you’ve got nothing to prove to no one:

That’s right. Stop comparing yourself to others or measuring how you stack up to things. You are marvellous right here and now and you’ve got nothing that you need to prove. I mean it.

5) Treat yourself like the goddess you are:

The better you treat yourself, the better you are going to feel. I mean this in every sense. When you take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually, you tell yourself and the universe that you are worthy. What are some practises that you can start to incorporate into your life today to treat yourself with care and kindness? Maybe it’s starting a new fitness regime? Maybe it’s buying a green juice instead of that extra coffee? It could be going to get a massage or a manicure. Perhaps it’s a quiet moment to yourself at the beach or a bookstore. The options are literally endless and there’s only one rule: this is for you and you alone. You aren’t doing this to impress anyone else, live up to society’s expectations or because your co-worker looks good and you feel like you have to too. Whatever you choose to adopt in your life is a gift to yourself, for yourself, from yourself…and no one else.

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Which of these practices resonated with you the most and how are you going to adopt them into your life?